How do I control the amount of smoke

[iceman3876]

I need some newbit help. I have an electric smoker. I am a novice at best probably closer to an absolute know-nothing. I have smoke stuff in the past and the meat was so smoky that it overwhelmed the tongue to the point of bitterness. In other words, the meat tasted like a bottle of hickory smoke had been dumped on the meat leaving nothing but "bad" on the meat and leaving the tongue somewhat numb. Do I use fewer chips? Do I open the lid? Do I give up?

Tonight I want to smoke some NY strips and finish off on the grill but I dont want to ruin some perfectly good steaks for the sake of tasting the right balance of smoky tantalizing flavor.

 

[up in smoke]

Generally, steaks do better on a grill, They respond better to a searing relatively short cooking rather than a low slow cook on a smoker. I just throw a smoke packet or chip box on my grill and flavor my steaks that way. :roll: Good idea bye the way, Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]m kinda tired of ham and turkey! Maybe a nice Delmonico! later Dude! :lol:

 

[iceman3876]

Do you think I could let the steaks sit in a lid covered smoker with hickory and then finish them off on a hot searing grill?

 

[illini]

I agree with Up in Smoke
Until you get the smoker under control I would not put a nice juicy steak in it (even if it were under control as for me)
You have a great big creosote problem going on by your comments.
Cut your wood usage WAY BACK
My thinking is to undersmoke at first and work your way up to your taste preferences...working your way down can ruin a lot of meat

 

[iceman3876]

Thank you and I will cut back considerably on the amount of woodchips and search for the balance over time. Thanks

 

[larry maddock]

yo 3876,

wwhat kind--model and name --smoker do you have????

 

[bluefrog]

My guess is that the exit vent on your smoker was not wide open. You can control the rate of burn by opening or partially closing the air intakes, but the exhaust port should be wide open so that the smoke flows over the meat rather than settles on it. I have smoked using only wood (no charcoal or gas or electricty) with grat results. Also, is your wood cured (dry)? Green wood will produce more creosote and give an off taste.

Scott

 

[iceman3876]

I have an Old Smokey electric smoker and I havent seen any venting anythings. Just appears to have a lid that seats against main part of smoker. My first thoughts were how in the world does thing breathe and allow smoke to flow around the meat rather than settling on it. I assume that with an electric smoker, a small amount of chunk hickory will suffice since the lid totally seals the unit.